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U.S.-Russian tensions rise over infant’s death
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The death of a Russian-born baby in the hands of his Purcellville adoptive father last week is sparking international strife between the child’s former country and the United States over adoption regulations.
Miles Harrison’s 21-month-old son, Chase, died when he was left for several hours in the back seat of a sport utility vehicle last week. The father remained hospitalized for shock, and will be charged with manslaughter upon his release, police said Tuesday.
But Chase’s death has spread concern among Russian officials that Americans aren’t regulating and keeping tabs on the parents who adopt children from Russia.
Chase was born Dmitry Yakolev and up until three months ago he was living in a children’s home in Russia’s northwest Pskov region.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry officials, Miles and Carol Harrison adopted him through the European Adoption Consultants Inc.
Russian officials claim the adoption agency didn’t alert the government within the legally required time of Chase’s death.
As a result, Russian officials said, European Adoption Consultants
Inc. and two other unnamed companies have been banned from Russia.
A spokesman for EAC declined to comment Tuesday, saying that the company is still trying to figure out what action the Russians have taken.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry is calling on American diplomats to take action.
“We have repeatedly called on the American side to sign ... an international legal document that would allow us more effectively to control the fate of Russian children taken out of the country by foster parents,” Russian officials said in a release. “We will ensure this issue is included in the agenda of Russian-American dialogue.”
Calls to the U.S. State Department were not returned.
The United States and Russia already have a dicey past over adoption. In 2006 a Manassas woman was convicted of beating her Russian-born adopted daughter to death.
fklopott@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
6:21 PM MST on Wed., Jul. 23, 2008 re: "Father of infant who died in hot car turns self in"
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10:50 AM MST on Wed., Jul. 23, 2008
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5:51 AM MST on Thu., Jul. 17, 2008
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10:16 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 15, 2008
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9:52 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 15, 2008
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9:48 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 15, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
How sad for the Dad, who will never forgive himself, the Mom, who will probably never forgive the Dad, and the little boy who came here for a better life, only to die a tragic death. Hopefully, the Russian Govt will see this as a tragic death, and not punish other deserving potential parents and children who belong together.
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Examiner Reader said:
Why does this stuff happen? Are people that unconscious?
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Examiner Reader said:
The suspensions of the other two adoption agencies have absolutely nothing to do with this tragic death. Both were issued last month (and curiously coincide with the one-year anniversary of both agencies' license to operate in Russia), but the Russian press only picked up on them now. The current legal requirement between the U.S. and Russia is for a post-placement report on the child do be done by a licensed social worker at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months after an adoption. And it is at best disingenuous for Russian authorities to assert that the U.S. is not in compliance with adoption law when the U.S. has ratified and implemented the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption and Russia hasn't. More than 50,000 Russian children have been adopted by Americans since 1991 and the vast majority are thriving.
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Examiner Reader said:
I hope and pray for this family , somethimes you know in heart whn things are done intentionally , in my opinion a married woman with no children and yearning for one , this Father has endured enough suffering.....
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D. Seals said:
Going by the headline (horribly cold btw), you'd think there would be mention of why the father was in the hospital.
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Examiner Reader said:
This is a really sad story. I can't imagine any legal punishment is worse than the guilt Harrison must already be fealing.
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